In a genre where many games follow similar formulas, this title attempts to shake things up with portal-based track switching and deep customization systems. The concept sounds ambitious on paper, but the real question is whether it actually works in practice without breaking the flow of racing.

Racing Across Dimensions

The main draw of Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is its ability to let players jump between different tracks during a race through portals. What makes this work is how smooth these transitions are. When you drive through a portal, the game instantly switches to a new route without any loading delays or stutters. This was tested on PlayStation 5, but the game is also coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, showing that the developers found ways to hide loading times without relying only on powerful hardware.

The game divides tracks into two categories: longer main routes that you can select from menus, and special routes that only appear through portals during races. The selection is quite large, and even after completing most of the game’s content, new portal routes keep appearing. Each track switch also changes the background music, so you’re not listening to the same song throughout an entire race.

The final lap brings extra excitement with faster music, new traps on the track, reopened shortcuts, and double item drops. These changes create many opportunities for players to make comebacks, which happen frequently in this game. Unlike other kart racers where skilled players usually stay in the lead, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds feels more unpredictable, with luck playing a bigger role regardless of skill level.

Controls and Handling

The controls feel smooth and responsive, but the experience depends on your vehicle’s settings. Some vehicles might feel stiffer or harder to control if they focus on Speed or Power instead of Handling. Learning to drift properly is essential since it’s the best way to take sharp turns while building boost momentum. Players who try to steer like in regular racing games won’t get the intended feel and will likely get frustrated.

Normal turning still has its place, particularly when switching between different terrain types like land, water, or air. In these situations, some sharp turns are easier or only possible with regular steering instead of drifting.

Items and The Gadget System

The item system has been improved since the Open Network test. Players are less likely to constantly receive overpowered items, with more standard boosts and attacks appearing instead. This fixes one of the main complaints from the test phase, where normal and super items dropped at similar rates. The final version feels much more balanced.

Even when using gadgets to increase your chances of getting specific items, the drop rates are controlled so you can’t spam the same power-up repeatedly. Sometimes you’ll need different tools, especially defensive ones to survive attacks from other players.

The gadget system turned out to be one of the game’s best features. It adds customization that gives players special advantages during races. The variety is impressive, with options including vehicle stat boosts, faster drift charging for stronger boost rewards, bonus item drops, and special kit selections that enhance your vehicle based on specific parameters.

This system offers many ways to make the game more enjoyable while increasing your chances of winning. When you face frustrating situations, there’s usually a gadget to help. For example, the Inventory Swap gadget lets you swap items more flexibly by pressing Triangle, addressing the limitation of not being able to switch items without discarding what you’re holding. The Bumper Guard gadget prevents speed drops when you crash into track sides and lose rings.

The developers clearly understood what players needed, even in very specific scenarios. The gadget system feels like a set of smart solutions for players who might struggle with certain limitations. Since gadgets are powerful, you can only bring six total, and some take up more slots depending on their strength.

Speed-boosting item gadgets cost three slots since they’re highly sought after. Defensive item gadgets only take two slots because comebacks are common and raw speed won’t always keep you safe. This system is highly recommended for exploration since it’s one of the game’s strongest features.

Customization Options

The customization system offers a good number of options for building vehicles using three main parts, each with their own stats. However, there are some important limitations to consider. The game keeps customization balanced by making sure that raising one stat will lower another. Everything stays even, so instead of maximizing all stats, you need to decide which parameters matter most to you.

Another limitation is that vehicles can only use parts designed for their type. You can’t use a cool part from a Power-type vehicle on a Speed-type vehicle since each parameter type is restricted to its own specific parts. While this prevents stat manipulation and keeps customization streamlined, it feels like a missed opportunity for deeper exploration, especially since the gadget system already handles flexibility much better.

Game Modes and Content

The game offers substantial content for offline play. There are seven main Grand Prix plus an additional Secret Grand Prix featuring stages from recent Sonic games. The game also includes bonus Grand Prix events for DLC collaborations with other franchises, leaving room for future content expansion.

Each Grand Prix features tough Rival characters who are stronger than regular CPU opponents, with difficulty increasing as you progress. You can always lower the difficulty if things get too challenging. After beating all the Rivals (over 20 Grand Prix total), you unlock Super Sonic as a bonus character.

Completing all Grand Prix and seeing the credits unlocks additional content, including the Race Park with different gameplay modes, some requiring cooperation. Each mode brings its own unique twist beyond standard racing. Extreme Match stands out by only providing super items, creating pure chaos and unpredictability. Other options include custom matches with personalized rules and Time Trials that let you compete against records from players worldwide. The ghost racer effect in Time Trials makes it feel like you’re racing against your past self.

Online Experience

Testing crossplay room matches with other reviewers showed very stable connections during races with no noticeable delays or issues. However, there was one problem in the lobby where the connection dropped and required creating a new room. Since the game went through an Open Network test recently, the developers will hopefully make further adjustments for a smoother online experience at launch.

Verdict

The final version of Sonic Racing CrossWorlds turned out to be more satisfying than the Open Network Test, with plenty of content and polish throughout. The cross-dimensional racing concept and well-designed Gadget system make this a kart racer that comes very close to being excellent, aside from some limitations in customization.

The developers clearly took feedback seriously, especially regarding item balancing which now feels much improved. The collaboration theme opens doors for long-term support with plenty of potential. While the genre might not be mainstream when paired with a live-service model, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds has the potential to reach a broader audience within the kart racing scene, and the quality of this final release already proves it.